The Price by Orenji Yume

A xxxHOLiC one-shot fic

STORY: Ever wondered how Maru and Moro came to Yuuko? And why they don't seem to have souls? Sorry if anyone seems OOC. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own XXXHolic, CLAMP does.

Lying on the edge of the sofa in a rather lethargic manner was a thin lady dressed in a red, silk robe dappled with the stretching branches of a plum tree. The robe hung around her body loosely, and one of her pale hands was wrinkling the crimson cloth. Her long, black hair coiled softly around her slender neck, and her amber eyes stared around the room. Turning around the lean of the side of one arm, her other arm dropped and her fingers managed to brush against the floor.

Suddenly, Yuuko jumped onto her bare feet and cried out, "I'm so bored! I need some company!!" And then she muttered to herself. "I'm sick of conjuring up company from my own two hands..." Sighing, she sat down again and crossed her legs. "What's taking them so long? The reason I dismissed the other one was because I knew they would be coming..." Brushing her hair behind, Yuuko thought aloud to herself. "Let's see...how much longer till they show up before my doorstep..."

Tapping her finger against her knee, she counted mentally in her head. It was not long before she stood up once more, and headed out of the room to welcome her guests. Stepping outside, she was met with two, young children. One of them seemed to be unconscious, and the other one clung onto the unconscious one tightly.

The unconscious one had dark hair that was trimmed shortly, but slightly tangled. The other one had lighter hair, and it hung around her shoulders. Her bright eyes were confused, and they stared at Yuuko intently. But her small arms wrapped around the other one so protectively. Their features were very alike, and it was for certain that they were twins.

Yuuko's lips pressed thinly at the sight, "Hello and welcome...I'm sure you know where this is?"

"Not really..." The reply came. "All I know is that...you're supposed to grant wishes with a price in return..."

Kneeling down, a distance away from the two children, Yuuko nodded, "Yes, that's true. So...why are you here?"

The two children were dressed poorly. A thin piece of clothing to shield them from the rainy weather, and their faces and body were smothered with traces of black, smudged with what seemed like tracks of tears. Their feet were not better off. Their faces were pale and they were shivering slightly. Faint, red markings could be seen on their small bodies. Putting her twin down, the other one stood in front of her, still uncertain of the situation. She wet her dry lips, but did not answer Yuuko.

Laughing quietly, Yuuko seemed to have gotten some kind of message, "What are your names?"

"I'm Yurui..." Looking down at her twin, she said. "She's Yukan...what about you?"

"Yuuko," Standing up, Yuuko went to a nearby cabinet and took out a small, metal pot that stood on three legs, and some incenses. Setting it down onto the floor, she removed the cover of the tiny pot and lit it. Very soon, smoke drifted around the room, and diffused itself outside. Placing the cover back on, Yuuko turned around. "I'll fetch you two something first...and then we will talk, how about that?"

As she disappeared, Yurui gazed around the room. It was furnished with antiques and furniture that held something of the past. Getting up, she left Yukan in her deep sleep to wander around. Yurui did not dare touch anything, in fear of being told off or even worse, beaten. Somehow, Yurui was drawn towards them, as well as Yuuko. She did not know the reason though. Just then, she heard her twin stir in her sleep. Immediately, she flew beside Yukan and grabbed her hand. Yurui could feel it; her twin was finally waking up.

Blinking her eyes open, Yukan's eyes met with Yurui's, "Yurui..." Shifting her head, she scanned the room. "Where are we?"

"Yuuko's place..." Bending over, Yurui whispered. "Where our wishes can be granted..."

Yukan's eyes widened, and she let out a small smile. Helping Yukan up, Yurui rubbed her twin's back, as she knew that it was still aching from the previous beating. And then, Yurui began explaining all she knew to Yukan. From the time they had began running in the rain to when Yukan fainted. And how Yurui carried Yukan, and finally stopped before Yuuko's door, and entered.

From afar, Yuuko saw everything. She had been watching them from the moment Yurui rushed to Yukan's side. Smiling to herself, Yuuko remained silent, until she saw that Yurui had finished her explanation to Yukan. After that, Yuuko appeared before them.

"You're awake..." Handing over two pieces of thick clothing to them, Yuuko watched as they wrapped the clothing around themselves immediately. "Let's settled down now, shall we?"

Setting down a tray, Yuuko poured two cups of tea for them. At first, they were uncertain, suspicious. But after some coaxing, they finally warmed themselves with the tea. When they put down their cups, Yuuko's face became serious and she started asking them.

"Where's your family?"

"They died," Yurui replied in a rather firm tone. "A few days ago in a fire...we managed to survive..." Yukan tugged at Yurui, shaking her head. Yurui looked over at Yukan, reassuring her with a smile.

Yuuko saw everything. Yurui was the decisive one, the stronger one. On the other hand, Yukan was weaker, and not as brave as her twin. 'She believes me now...she trusts me now...good.' Leaning forward, Yuuko reached over towards Yukan and placed a hand on her shoulder. Yukan wanted to shirk away, but she did not dare to. All she did was stare at Yuuko. Smiling, Yuuko rubbed Yukan tenderly. Yukan winced slightly, for there on her shoulder was an old wound. Yurui did not make any move.

And then Yuuko said, "It must hurt, yes?" Without waiting for a reply, she continued. "Your parents weren't the best, were there? Especially to the both of you...I guess they weren't very happy with you two. Because you two seemed different from what they had expected..."

Her eyes glimmered with tears, and soon Yukan could no longer bear to hear anymore. She flung herself again Yuuko and let her tears flow freely. Yuuko raised her head to see Yurui's reaction. She merely sat still, resisting her tears. With a small smile upon her lips, Yuuko thought. 'You can cry...' At that moment, Yurui's eyes shone and she choked. Tears slid down her cheeks as she thought. 'How did you know?' Before Yuuko could answer, Yukan pulled away from Yuuko, sniffing quietly. 'Thank you...'

"You two are special..." Standing up, Yuuko beckoned them up as well. "So...what is your wish?"

Silenced followed, before the twins chorused, "We want to be free...from the past..."

Immediately, Yuuko grinned, and her hand swept her robe, "How would you two like to be by my side? Forever?"

Blinking at her in disbelief, a rush of thoughts came through them. 'By her side...? Forever...?' Just then, flickers from the past flashed across their minds. Screams echoed in their ears and the pain stung them. Sitting down, Yuuko added some more incenses. The smoke thickened slightly, and floated around the twins, as if embracing them.

"Yes..." Their voices followed one after another.

From the sleeve of her robe, Yuuko took out a small porcelain jar, and opened the lid, "I shall grant you two your wish, by taking away your souls, so that nothing of your past shall remain. And in return...you two shall serve me forever..." She then knocked the lid against the jar twice.

And then, a faint grey emerged from the Yurui and Yukan, causing them to collapse. The faint grey was being sucked inside the jar, and the lid was clasped on. Tucking the jar away in her sleeve, Yuuko stepped towards the two bodies. Raising a hand, the two bodies were lifted. 'Maybe a makeover is needed...' Snapping her fingers, a light was cast over Yurui and Yukan. In an instance, the light vanished and the two bodies were put down.

Yurui now had long, curly hair, and they were tied in two ponytails. And Yukan's short hair was now curled at the ends, and two buns were tied at the top. In her mind, Yuuko smiled, though her facial expression said nothing. 'Yurui...shall now be Maru. And Yukan...shall now be Moro.' She bent over them, and kissed them lightly on the foreheads. Turning away, Yuuko retreated back into her room, closing the door behind her.

Lying down on the sofa, she draped the thin scarf hanging at the side of the sofa around her. 'When I wake up...you two shall not remember anything and will belong to me forever...' In the depths of her mind, Yuuko had a hidden thought. 'My price was worthy...wasn't it? I can tell someone one day...that I'm not as calculative as he thinks, when he tries to...' And with that, Yuuko closed her eyes, with a smirk on her thin lips.

END

A/N: This is just my idea of how they came about. Other than that, I saw on one website, which suggested that Maru and Moro may be cards...because they don't seem to have any souls or minds of their own. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it!